Loose-leaf ledger or file.



Patentad Dac. 5, |8599.

J. w. AMRATH. LUSE LEAF LEDGEB 0H FILE..

(Appu'cmon med my* 24, 1699.)

(No Model.)

THE NaRRls PETER: 60 wAsHlNnroN. n. c

the ledger with all its leaves turned to one side elevation of one ofthe sides of the frame,

i hinged tothe side edges of the casing by a citizen of .the UnitedStates, residing at San and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Led- 4thebook or papers of the'iile are removably -the frame shall be certain andpositive, as

"chanical construction which have fully herellivrrn "rares JOSElll W.AMRATH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CAJFORNIA.

LoossHLEAF Leones on eine.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,208, dated December5, 1899.

.Applicants inea nach 24, 1899..-

To all whom it @may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. AMRATH, a

Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, haveinvented certain new gers or Files, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to ledgers, files, and the like of the class inwhich the leaves of bound in a back-frame provided with means forexpanding it in order to permit newleaves to be inserted. My invention'is designed to produce a simple, cheap, and convenient device of Vthiskind in which the adjustmentof Well as uniform. I haveeinbodied myinvention in a meinafter described and have ings accompanying.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan viewol shown in drawside. Fig. 2 isa cross-section of the bookframe expanded. Fig. 3 is a similar view withthe frame contracted. Fig. e is an inshowing the locking device. Fig. 5is a detail View of one of-t-he ledger-leaves. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectionshowing a special arrangement of leather back for the ledger.

The back ot' the ledger is composed of an expa'nsible frame formed intwo parts A A. The pieces of the frame overlapfat the bottom and also atthe ends, as shown in Figs. -l and2, the whole forming a shallowadjustable casing. Thel covers B of the book are leather binding b,which is ,secured to said covers as well as to the inside, outside, andthe bottom of each part of the frame. The part A of the frame isprovided with end bearings l, and, if necessary,- With a suffe cientnumber of intermediate bearings 2, in which is journaled thelongitudinal shaftiC. This shaft is provided with a Worm C' at a pointabout midway its length. .lournaled in the bracket 4 is a shaft 5,having ascrewl. threaded end 6, which engages with the worm C'. Anaperture 7 is made through the side of the casing, through which ahandle D `vided with slots l0 along one semina. '11o-,ana on man.)

may be inserted, such' handle extending into the shaft 5 and forming themeans for op- @rating it. .The partA of the frame is adjustable upontheparte.' by means'of mechanism best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Securedto the side wall of the part A isaslide E, having its lower edge formedinto a rack 8. This slide engages with a guide F, secured to the: partA.' of the frame. 'Vl/"hen the handle is turned, motion is com inunicated through the worin-gear of the main longitudinalshaft, and thelatter is provided with teeth 9, which engage with the rack-8. By thismeans the adjustable part A may be caused to travel in either directionin its guides, being expansh histo the position of Fig. E? or capable ofbel ing contracted to the position" of Fig. 3, thus vlmaking a wide or anarrow back 'for the ledger,

as may be required. The number of these adjustable slides and guides mayvary according to the size of the book; butl prefer in all cases to haveatleast three of them, one lpcated'near the middle of the bach and one.

near each end, in order to obtain a positive application of power atdifferent points, and thus make the adjustment uniform and nn obstructedthroughout the length of the bock. The loose leaves G of the ledger arepron edge, which slots should correspond to the nunbei'and'" also to theshape of the adjustinG-slides in the book.. These leaves aremounted, asshown'L in Fig. 2, upon the slides E, These leaves are held between theside of the frame A `and the guides F, the book being expanded wheneveritA becomes necessary toinse'rt neviY leaves. By expanding the frame andthus loosening the leaves new ones can be inserted either at the end ofthe series of leavesor'at any intermediate point, the open slot in suchleaves permitting them to be easily slipped over the slidesE. i I

ln order ,to lock' the mechanism, so as to prei-'ent the expansion orcontraction of the book excepting by proper authority, and also toprevent the removal of leaves, l have`provided a locking device, asshown in Fig. 4. The shaft 5, near the side oi'` the frame, is providedwith ratchet-teeth 11. A. pivoted pawl l2, `having a toothed extremity,is pressed by a spring 13 into normal engagement with the shaft 5, whichthereby locked.

I OO

shorter pin, which will confine a greater num- AThis lock isinaccessible except by Vmeans of l a key 14,.inserted through a keyhole`15 in the side A' of the frame, by means of which ttlie pawl can belifted, disengaging its teeth and `permitting the shaft 5 and the othermechanism to be operated by the handle.

I prefer to provide the frame A with two or more bearing-pins 16, havingsquare heads 17, and which are removable from the frame'. These pinsbear upon the series of leaves, as shown in` Fig. 1, and keep themcompressed. Thesepins have screwthreaded ends fitting threaded holesinthe frame and are intended to. be interchangeable with other and shorterpins, so as to keep' Athe leaves from' spreading too. far. The pin'sshown in the drawings confine the leaves to aboutone-third the thicknessof the Whole structure. Another ber of leaves to about two-thirdsof thethiol@ ness., will probably be found `sufficient in practice. Whenfilled up to these last pins,

the latter can be removed and the remaining leaves inserted in theremaining space. More than two interchangeable pins can, however,

com pose each set.

In Fig. .6 I have illustrated a leather back which. I sometimes'useinstead of that shown in Figs. 2 andB. In this case 4the parts A and A'-of the frame, instead of heilig right-f angular in ci-osslsection, areplain flat pieces v and forni a bottomless compartment.

lleather back K is permanently attached at' lo andextends across thebook and over the guide-pulley Z. 'lhewidth of this' leather stri'pis ofcourse equal to the extreme expansion of the book, and it has an elasticconneet-ion m, which passes over a guide-pulley fn. to a roller o,around which it` is wound.

Consequently this leather back will adjust itself automatically 'tochanges in the thick-- ness of the booln I do not limit inyself tothe'exact construe` tion herein described, and shown in the drawings,asI desire to avail -myself of such modifications and equivalents as fallproperly within the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desiretosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a loose-leaf ledger or file', a two-part expansible frame, alongitudinal shaft journaled in the relatively stationary part oftheframe and in the space formed by the two parts, means for causing saidshaft to rotate, and tra'nsverse'barsfsecured to the relativelyniioablepart of the frame and geared to said s a t.

2. In a loose-leaf ledger or file, a two-part expausible lrame,composedof relatively stationary 'and movable parts,a worm-shaft jen r# naledinthe relatively stationary part,a transverse shaft having a bearing inthe same part and engaging said worm, and a plurality of Vslide-barsseen red to the movable part of the rename, having racks and guided inthe stationary part.. p

3. In a loose-leaf ledger orfile, a two-part expansibleframe, composedof relatively statouary and movable parts, a longitudinal shaft havinga'worm and journaled in the relatively stationary part, a transverseshaft jou-rnaled in the same part and engaging said Worm, a, plu ialityof slide-bars on the movable part adapted to support the loose leavesand guided in the stationary part, and transverse racks geared tothesaid longitudinal shaft and operated thereby 4. In a loose-leafledger, and in combination, an expansible frame, composed of relativelystationary and movable parts, a longitudinal shaft jonrnaled in thestationary part, a counter-shaft journaled in the same part and gearedto said longitudinal shaft, a plurality of slide-bars on the movablepart adapt.- ed to support the loose .leaves and guided on thestationary part, transverse racks engag-l ing with the longitudinalshaft so as to ex pandand contract the frame, .anciananto.`

matic lock for said counter-shaft'. y

5. In combination with an expansihle ledgerback aworrn-shaft for causingsuch expansion through con nections substantially as des.'

scribed, transverse shaft for operating said Worn1shaft, apawl engagingsaid transverse shaft in order to lock the same, and means.fordisengagingsaid pawl in order to permitl

